Terrorism, Methamphetamines, Euthanasia, Hollywood, and Doing Business in India will all be Topics of Discussion as Leading South Asian Attorneys Gather in Atlanta for Third Annual NASABA Convention, June 16–18

Washington, D.C., —More than 400 South Asian judges, attorneys and law students will gather in Atlanta for the third annual national convention of the North American South Asian Bar Association (NASABA), June 16-18, marking a year of progress for the South Asian legal community.

Achievements in the U.S. and Canada to be acknowledged at the conference include high-profile South Asian legal appointments, diversity strides and greater representation of South Asian concerns in business, entertainment and education. Expert speakers will cover more than a dozen topics at this year’s conference, “Networking to Influence, Influencing the Network: South Asian Lawyers Changing the Flow of the Mainstream.”

Seminars, workshops and networking events will provide thought-provoking and productive sessions for attendees to review the year’s significant strides and establish new objectives. Representing more than 5,000 South Asian American attorneys, this year’s NASABA convention is expected to be larger than previous gatherings. The Convention, for one memorable weekend, will bring together attorneys from firms, large and small, from small private companies to large public companies, like CompuCredit Corporation, a convention-level sponsor, from the public and private interest sectors, from all branches of government, and from the world of academia.

Opening this year’s conference is the Honorable Judge Stanley F. Birch, the federal appeals court judge who became the focus of national attention in March 2005 when the parents of Terri Schiavo asked for a new hearing. He will welcome attendees, including attorneys from law firms, public and private companies, public and private interest sectors, government and academia.

One keynote speaker is Neal Katyal, a Georgetown University law professor and the lead attorney in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, a leading challenge to the military tribunals in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. As he speaks at the convention, the U.S. Supreme Court will be deciding the case. Many experts believe this will be the biggest Supreme Court decision of 2006.

General counsels from UPS, Cingular and Sempra Energy will speak on diversity at one of the opening panel sessions. Other key discussions include business immigration issues and securing visas for high-demand professionals working in IT, health care and other industries, pro-bono business opportunities for helping South Asian countries, and the legal issues surrounding the separation of church and state in public schools.

Convention discussions will also include a look at the rising success and influence of South Asians in the entertainment industry and how this affects entertainment law practice, with attorney Sandeep Motwani of Warner Bros. Television.

“For South Asian attorneys and law students in North America, this convention is a unique opportunity to positively affect their practices, and the communities they represent,” says NASABA Vice President Kirtan Patel.

Seminar topics include:

General Counsels Speak Out On Diversity; Business Immigration Issues; Entertainment Law Issues; Is The Patriot Act Patriotic?; Pro Bono Opportunities in the South Asian Community; Solo/Small Firm Practice Issues; Public Relations for Lawyers; Doing Business In South Asia; Ten Commandments/ Prayer In Schools and Other Religious Issues Affecting South Asians; The Art and Science Of Business Development; Succeeding within Firm and Corporate Cultures; Racial Profiling and the War On Drugs; Hot Topics in Intellectual Property Law; Professional Development for South Asian Women; Diversity Initiatives for Employers: Are They Good for South Asians?; Outsourcing Legal Services; Work/Life Balance; Hot Topics For Corporate Counsel; Corporate External Communications; ABA Workshop for Law Students - Choosing the Path Less Traveled: Attorneys Championing the Causes of South Asians Through Alternative Careers.

Speakers and panelists include:

Rishi Agrawal, Eimer Stahl Klevorn & Solberg
Manny Arora, Defense Attorney, Garland, Samuel, Loeb
Saba Ashraf, Partner, Alston & Bird
Jay Bagia, Bagia & Associates
Bob Barr, Member of Congress, 1995-2003
Nila Betof, Ph.D., COO, The Leader’s Edge
Nadeem Bezar, Kolsby, Gordon, Robin, Shore & Bezar
Stanley Birch, Chief Judge, 11th Circuit Court of Appeals
Vijay Bondada, Dickstein Shapiro
Jeffrey O. Bramlett, Trial Attorney, Bondurant, Mixon & Elmor
Gino Brogdon, Partner, Alston & Bird
Joaquin R. Carbonell, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Cingular Wireless
Anil Chaddha, General Electric
Javade Chaudhri, Executive Vice President & General Counsel, Sempra Energy
Navneet Chugh, The Chugh Firm
Ken Cutshaw, General Counsel, Church’s Chicken
Mirut Dalal, Mcandrews
Reetu Dandora, Partner, Reed Smith, LLP
Raj Davé, Partner, Morrison & Forrester
Ted Davis, Partner, Kilpatrick Stockton
Roopa Doraswamy, Narasappa, Doraswamy & Raja, Bangalore
Randy Eaddy, Kilpatrick Stockton
Madhu Goel, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz
Paul Grewal, Day Casebeer Madrid & Batchelder
Anuj Grover, Vice President and General Counsel, CipherTrust, Inc.
E. Linwood Gunn, Brock, Clay & Calhoun
Venu Gupta, Sachnoff & Weaver, Law Firm Diversity Committee
Alamdar Hamdani, Borunda & Hamdani
Geoffrey Hazard, University of Pennsylvania
Jane Hyun, Author, Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling, Career Strategies for Asians
Habib Ilahi, Habib Ilahi - Board/DC
Gaytri Kachroo, Kacchroo & Associates
Neal Katyal - Professor, Georgetown University Law Center
Kamran Q. Khan, Shook, Hardy & Bacon
Moushumi Khan, Law Offices of Moushumi M. Khan
Saveen Kaushal, Legal Advocate, Sakhi for South Asian Women
Praveen Kosuri, Assistant Director IJ Clinic, Lecturer, University of Chicago Law School
Pamela Leeming, Cook County Public Defender’s Office
Teri McClure - Senior Vice President of Legal and Compliance, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, United Parcel Service
Sandeep Motwani, Warner Bros. Television
Parth Munshi, The Coca-Cola Company
David Nahmias, United States Attorney, Northern District of Georgia
Emilie Ninan, Partner, Potter, Anderson & Corroon
Tony Paikeday, Silicon Counsel
Alvah Parker, Parker Associates
Prabha Parameswaran, Hewitt Associates
David Perla, Pangea3
William T. Plybon. Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Coca-Cola Enterprises
Ashish Prasad, Partner, Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw
Anandhi Rajan, Partner, Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers
Dana Rao, Microsoft Corporation
Sasha Rao, Partner, Ropes & Gray
Asker A. Saeed, Robinson & Cole, LLP
Anna Sankaran, Partner, Greenberg Traurig
Inderpreet Sawhney, The Chugh Firm
Nagendra (Nick) Setty, Fish & Richardson
Suresh Sharma, JS3 Global Consulting
Tina Sharma, Partner, Jenkins & Gilchrist
Suhag A. Shukla, Legal Counsel, Hindu American Foundation, Inc.
Waajid Siddique, Partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges
Kavita Sreeharsha, Staff Attorney, Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach
Sanjay Tailor, Associate Judge, Cook County
Aarti Tandon, Law Office of Aarti Tandon
Dorothy Thomas, Kochhar & Co., LLC Atlanta
Rena Van Tine, Associate Judge, Cook County
Dave Vatti, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Dist. of Connecticut
Neera Walsh, Supervisor, Cook County State Attorney’s Office
Joe Whitley, former general counsel, Department of Homeland Security, Partner, Alston & Bird

About NASABA

The North American South Asian Bar Association (NASABA) provides a vital link between South Asian lawyers and the South Asian community across North America. As a bar association, NASABA affords South Asian lawyers in North America a forum for professional growth and advancement. By promoting the South Asian bar and focusing on the legal needs of the South Asian community, NASABA is the fastest growing organization of South Asian lawyers in the world. As the South Asian business community in North America continues to prosper, NASABA provides it with a directory of qualified legal professionals who not only have the sophistication to provide creative business solutions, but also understand their motivations and goals.

For more information or registration, please go to www.nasabaconvention.org.

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NASABA PR

VSC Consulting

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